English

Noun

penates pl ‎(plural only)

1. (historical) The household gods, in ancient Rome, thought to watch over one's house and storeroom; by extension, one's definitive household goods.
   • 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, I.3:

     lest the name thereof being discovered unto their enemies, their Penates and Patronal Gods might be called forth by charms and incantations.

Latin

Noun

penātēs

1. nominative plural of penās
2. accusative plural of penās
3. vocative plural of penās

References

• penates in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• penates in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
• penates in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin